Extruder

The present application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0141888, filed on Oct. 17, 2024, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

Unlike primary batteries that are not designed to be (re)charged, secondary (or rechargeable) batteries are batteries that are designed to be discharged and recharged. Low-capacity secondary batteries are used in portable, small electronic devices, such as smart phones, feature phones, notebook computers, digital cameras, and camcorders, while large-capacity secondary batteries are widely used as power sources for driving motors in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles and for storing power (e.g., home and/or utility scale power storage). A secondary battery generally includes an electrode assembly composed of a positive electrode and a negative electrode, a case accommodating the same, and electrode terminals connected to the electrode assembly.

An electrode of a secondary battery may be formed by coating an electrode slurry mixed with an active material, a conductive material, and a binder onto a substrate formed of metals and/or the like. An extruder may be used for manufacturing the electrode slurry.

The above information disclosed in this Background section is for enhancement of understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and therefore, it may contain information that does not constitute related (or prior) art.

An extruder may be a device that discharges an electrode slurry by mixing an active material, a conductive material, a binder, and a solvent supplied to the inside of a barrel by rotation of a screw. A characteristic of the electrode slurry may be determined by gaps between the screws and the barrels. However, a difference between a characteristic value of the electrode slurry and a desired characteristic value may occur by the gaps between the screws and the barrels, which may reduce the quality of the electrode manufactured by using the electrode slurry.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be directed to an extruder capable of forming an electrode slurry by mixing an active material, a binder, a conductive material, and the like.

These and other aspects and features of the present disclosure will be described in or will be apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present disclosure.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, an extruder includes: a supply module configured to supply an active material, a binder, and a conductive material; a mixing module configured to form an electrode slurry by mixing the active material, the binder, and the conductive material supplied from the supply module; a discharge module configured to discharge the electrode slurry; and a sensor configured to measure a characteristic value of the electrode slurry. The mixing module includes: a first screw and a second screw parallel to each other in a longitudinal direction of the mixing module, the first screw and the second screw including screw threads on an outer circumference thereof configured to rotate to engage with each other; a barrel including a first barrel and a second barrel accommodating the first screw and the second screw, respectively, and facing each other in a height direction of the mixing module to form a hole through which the electrode slurry is transmitted; a first gap adjustment module configured to adjust a gap between the first barrel and the second barrel in the height direction of the mixing module; and a control module configured to control the first gap adjustment module based on the measured characteristic value.

In an embodiment, the barrel may further include: a first area adjacent to the supply module; a third area adjacent to the discharge module; and a second area between the first area and the third area.

In an embodiment, the sensor may include a first sensor configured to measure a first characteristic value of the electrode slurry transmitted through the hole of the barrel, and the first characteristic value may include at least one of a pressure value or a temperature value.

In an embodiment, the first sensor may include: a 1_1 sensor configured to measure the first characteristic value of the electrode slurry transmitted through the hole of the first area; a 1_2 sensor configured to measure the first characteristic value of the electrode slurry transmitted through the hole of the second area; and a 1_3 sensor configured to measure the first characteristic value of the electrode slurry transmitted through the hole of the third area.

In an embodiment, the control module may be configured to: compare the first characteristic value measured by the 1_1 sensor with a reference value; and based on a result of the compare between the first characteristic value measured by the 1_1 sensor and the reference value, transmit a control signal to the first gap adjustment module to change a gap between the first barrel and the second barrel in the first area.

In an embodiment, the control module may be configured to: compare the first characteristic value measured by the 1_2 sensor with a reference value; and based on a result of the compare between the first characteristic value measured by the 1_2 sensor and the reference value, transmit a control signal to the first gap adjustment module to change a gap between the first barrel and the second barrel in the second area.

In an embodiment, the control module may be configured to: compare the first characteristic value measured by the 1_3 sensor with a reference value; and based on a result of the compare between the first characteristic value measured by the 1_3 sensor and the reference value, transmit a control signal to the first gap adjustment module to change a gap between the first barrel and the second barrel in the third area.

In an embodiment, the sensor may include a second sensor configured to measure a second characteristic value of the electrode slurry discharged from the discharge module, and the second characteristic value may include at least one of a particle size, a viscosity value, a density value, or a temperature value.

In an embodiment, the control module may be configured to: compare the second characteristic value measured by the second sensor with a reference value; and based on a result of the compare between the second characteristic value measured by the second sensor and the reference value, transmit a control signal to the first gap adjustment module to change a gap between the first barrel and the second barrel in the second area.

In an embodiment, the control module may be configured to: compare the second characteristic value measured by the second sensor with a reference value; and based on a result of the compare between the second characteristic value measured by the second sensor and the reference value, transmit a control signal to the first gap adjustment module to change a gap between the first barrel and the second barrel in the third area.

In an embodiment, the extruder may further include a tank configured to accommodate the electrode slurry discharged from the discharge module. The sensor may further include a third sensor configured to measure a third characteristic value of the electrode slurry accommodated in the tank, and the third characteristic value may include a weight value.

In an embodiment, the control module may be configured to: compare the third characteristic value measured by the third sensor with a reference value; and based on a result of the compare between the third characteristic value measured by the third sensor and the reference value, transmit a control signal to the first gap adjustment module to change a gap between the first barrel and the second barrel in the third area.

In an embodiment, the first barrel may include a 1_1 barrel and a 1_2 barrel facing each other in a width direction of the mixing module, and the second barrel may include a 2_1 barrel and a 2_2 barrel facing each other in the width direction of the mixing module.

In an embodiment, the extruder may further include a second gap adjustment module configured to adjust a gap between the 1_1 barrel and the 1_2 barrel, and a gap between the 2_1 barrel and the 2_2 barrel, in the width direction of the mixing module. The control module may be configured to control the second gap adjustment module based on the measured characteristic value.

In an embodiment, the hole of the barrel may include: a first hole accommodating the first screw; and a second hole accommodating the second screw. The first hole and the second hole may be connected to each other in an area where the first screw and the second screw engage with each other.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, an extruder includes: a supply module configured to supply an active material, a binder, and a conductive material; a mixing module configured to form an electrode slurry by mixing the active material, the binder, and the conductive material supplied from the supply module; a discharge module configured to discharge the electrode slurry; and a sensor configured to measure a characteristic value of the electrode slurry. The mixing module includes: a pair of screws parallel to each other in a longitudinal direction of the mixing module, the pair of screws having screw threads at an outer circumference thereof configured to rotate to engage each other; a barrel accommodating the pair of screws, and having a hole through which the electrode slurry is transmitted, the barrel configured to adjust a clearance between the pair of screws and an inner circumference of the hole; and a control module configured to control the barrel to adjust the clearance based on the measured characteristic value. The barrel includes: a first area adjacent to the supply module; a third area adjacent to the discharge module; and a second area between the first area and the third area. The control module is configured to control the barrel to adjust the clearance in at least one of the first area, the second area, or the third area based on the measured characteristic value.

In an embodiment, the sensor may be configured to measure a pressure value of the electrode slurry, and the control module may be configured to control the barrel to increase the clearance in the first area based on the pressure value of the second area measured by the sensor being smaller than a reference pressure value.

In an embodiment, the sensor may be configured to measure a temperature value of the electrode slurry, and the control module may be configured to control the barrel to increase the clearance in the second area or the third area based on the temperature value in the second area or the third area measured by the sensor being greater than a reference temperature value.

In an embodiment, the sensor may be configured to measure a viscosity value of the electrode slurry, and the control module may be configured to control the barrel to decrease the clearance in the second area or the third area based on the viscosity value measured by the sensor in the second area or the third area being greater than a reference viscosity value.

In an embodiment, the sensor may be configured to measure a particle size of the electrode slurry, and the control module may be configured to control the barrel to increase the clearance in the second area or the third area based on the particle size measured by the sensor in the second area or the third area being greater than a reference particle size.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an extruder may be provided for improving the quality of an electrode slurry formed by mixing an active material, a binder, and a conductive material.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an extruder capable of evenly distributing an electrode slurry may be provided by setting a shear force applied to an electrode slurry by adjusting a clearance corresponding to a gap between an inner circumference of a barrel of a mixing module and a screw.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a physical property value of a finally manufactured electrode slurry may be set by measuring the physical property value of the electrode slurry using a sensor mounted in an extruder, and adjusting a clearance according to the measured physical property value.

However, aspects and features of the present disclosure are not limited to those described above, and other aspects and features not mentioned will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art from the detailed description, described below.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described, in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to the usual or dictionary meaning and should be interpreted as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present disclosure based on the principle that the inventor may be his/her own lexicographer to appropriately define the concept of the term to explain his/her invention in the best way.

The embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only some of the embodiments of the present disclosure and do not represent all of the technical ideas, aspects, and features of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modifications that may replace or modify the embodiments described herein at the time of filing this application.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, connected, or coupled to the other element or layer or one or more intervening elements or layers may also be present. When an element or layer is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. For example, when a first element is described as being “coupled” or “connected” to a second element, the first element may be directly coupled or connected to the second element or the first element may be indirectly coupled or connected to the second element via one or more intervening elements.

In the figures, dimensions of the various elements, layers, etc. may be exaggerated for clarity of illustration. The same reference numerals designate the same elements. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Further, the use of “may” when describing embodiments of the present disclosure relates to “one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.” Expressions, such as “at least one of” and “any one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list. When phrases such as “at least one of A, B and C, “at least one of A, B or C,” “at least one selected from a group of A, B and C,” or “at least one selected from among A, B and C” are used to designate a list of elements A, B and C, the phrase may refer to any and all suitable combinations or a subset of A, B and C, such as A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. As used herein, the terms “use,” “using,” and “used” may be considered synonymous with the terms “utilize,” “utilizing,” and “utilized,” respectively. As used herein, the terms “substantially,” “about,” and similar terms are used as terms of approximation and not as terms of degree, and are intended to account for the inherent variations in measured or calculated values that would be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers, and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another element, component, region, layer, or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” or “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the term “below” may encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a” and “an” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Also, any numerical range disclosed and/or recited herein is intended to include all sub-ranges of the same numerical precision subsumed within the recited range. For example, a range of “1.0 to 10.0” is intended to include all subranges between (and including) the recited minimum value of 1.0 and the recited maximum value of 10.0, that is, having a minimum value equal to or greater than 1.0 and a maximum value equal to or less than 10.0, such as, for example, 2.4 to 7.6. Any maximum numerical limitation recited herein is intended to include all lower numerical limitations subsumed therein, and any minimum numerical limitation recited in this specification is intended to include all higher numerical limitations subsumed therein.

Accordingly, Applicant reserves the right to amend this specification, including the claims, to expressly recite any sub-range subsumed within the ranges expressly recited herein. All such ranges are intended to be inherently described in this specification such that amending to expressly recite any such subranges would comply with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. § 112(a) and 35 U.S.C. § 132(a).

References to two compared elements, features, etc. as being “the same” may mean that they are “substantially the same”. Thus, the phrase “substantially the same” may include a case having a deviation that is considered low in the art, for example, a deviation of 5% or less. In addition, when a certain parameter is referred to as being uniform in a given region, it may mean that it is uniform in terms of an average.

Throughout the specification, unless otherwise stated, each element may be singular or plural.

Arranging an arbitrary element “above (or below)” or “on (under)” another element may mean that the arbitrary element may be disposed in contact with the upper (or lower) surface of the element, and another element may also be interposed between the element and the arbitrary element disposed on (or under) the element.

In addition, it will be understood that when a component is referred to as being “linked,” “coupled,” or “connected” to another component, the elements may be directly “coupled,” “linked” or “connected” to each other, or another component may be “interposed” between the components”.

Throughout the specification, when “A and/or B” is stated, it means A, B or A and B, unless otherwise stated. That is, “and/or” includes any or all combinations of a plurality of items enumerated. When “C to D” is stated, it means C or more and D or less, unless otherwise specified.

The sizes of layers and areas illustrated in the drawings may be exaggerated for convenience of illustration. As such, the present disclosure is not limited to the sizes of the layers and the areas illustrated in the drawings. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements throughout the specification.

1 FIG. is a view illustrating an example of an extruder according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

1 FIG. 2 FIG. 10 100 200 30 100 300 30 250 1 30 10 400 30 300 Referring to, an extrudermay include a supply module (e.g., a supplier or a supply hopper)that supplies an active material, a binder, and a conductive material, a mixing module (e.g., a mixer or a mixing device)that forms an electrode slurryby mixing the active material, the binder, and the conductive material provided from the supply module, a discharge module (e.g., a discharger or a discharge outlet)that discharges the electrode slurry, and a sensor_(e.g., refer to) that measures a characteristic value of the electrode slurry. The extrudermay further include a tankthat accommodates the electrode slurrydischarged from the discharge module.

100 200 30 100 200 100 200 The supply modulemay supply an active material, a binder, a conductive material, a solvent, and the like to the mixing modulefor forming the electrode slurry. For example, the supply modulemay distinguish a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and may supply an active material, a binder, and a conductive material used for each kind of electrode to the mixing module. The active material may be a positive electrode active material or a negative electrode active material. As another example, the supply modulemay supply an active material, a binder, and a conductive material with different composition ratios to the mixing modulebased on a capacity (e.g., a desired capacity) of a secondary battery being designed.

The positive electrode active material may include a compound (lithiated intercalation compound) that is capable of intercalating and deintercalating lithium. Specifically, at least one of a composite oxide of lithium and a metal selected from cobalt, manganese, nickel, and combinations thereof may be used.

The composite oxide may be a lithium transition metal composite oxide. Specific examples of the composite oxide may include lithium nickel-based oxide, lithium cobalt-based oxide, lithium manganese-based oxide, lithium iron phosphate-based compound, cobalt-free nickel-manganese-based oxide, or a combination thereof.

1 As an example, the following compounds represented by any one of the following Chemical Formulas may be used. LiaA1-bXbO2-cDc (0.90≤a≤1.8, 0≤b≤0.5, and 0≤c≤0.05); LiaMn2-bXbO4-cDc (0.90≤a≤1.8, 0≤b≤0.5, and 0≤c≤0.05); LiaNi1-b-cCobXcO2-αDα (0.90≤a≤1.8, 0≤b≤0.5, 0≤c≤0.5, and 0<α<2); LiaNi1-b-cMnbXcO2-αDα (0.90≤a≤1.8, 0≤b≤0.5, 0≤c≤0.5, and 0<α<2); LiaNibCocLdGeO2 (0.90≤a≤1.8, 0≤b≤0.9, 0≤c≤0.5, 0≤d≤0.5, and 0≤e≤0.1); LiaNiGbO2 (0.90≤a≤1.8 and 0.001≤b≤0.1); LiaCoGbO2 (0.90≤a≤1.8 and 0.001≤b≤0.1); LiaMn1-bGbO2 (0.90≤a≤1.8 and 0.001≤b≤0.1); LiaMn2GbO4 (0.90≤a≤1.8 and 0.001≤b≤0.1); LiaMn1-gGgPO4 (0.90≤a≤1.8 and 0≤g≤0.5); Li(3-f)Fe2(PO4)3 (0≤f≤2); or LiaFePO4 (0.90≤a≤1.8).

In the above Chemical Formulas, A is Ni, Co, Mn, or a combination thereof; X is Al, Ni, Co, Mn, Cr, Fe, Mg, Sr, V, a rare earth element or a combination thereof; D is O, F, S, P, or a combination thereof; G is Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Mg, La, Ce, Sr, V, or a combination thereof; and L1 is Mn, Al, or a combination thereof.

The positive electrode active material may be, for example, a high nickel-based positive electrode active material having a nickel content of greater than or equal to about 80 mol %, greater than or equal to about 85 mol %, greater than or equal to about 90 mol %, greater than or equal to about 91 mol %, or greater than or equal to about 94 mol % and less than or equal to about 99 mol % based on 100 mol % of the metal excluding lithium in the lithium transition metal composite oxide. The high-nickel-based positive electrode active material may be capable of realizing high capacity and may be applied to a high-capacity, high-density rechargeable lithium battery.

A positive electrode for a rechargeable lithium battery may include a current collector and a positive electrode active material layer on the current collector. The positive electrode active material layer may include a positive electrode active material and may further include a binder and/or a conductive material(e.g., an electrically conductive material).

For example, the positive electrode may further include an additive that may serve as a sacrificial positive electrode.

An amount of the positive electrode active material may be about 90 wt % to about 99.5 wt % based on 100 wt % of the positive electrode active material layer. Amounts of the binder and the conductive material may be about 0.5 wt % to about 5 wt %, respectively, based on 100 wt % of the positive electrode active material layer.

The binder serves to attach the positive electrode active material particles well to each other and also to attach the positive electrode active material well to the current collector. Examples of the binder may include polyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, diacetyl cellulose, polyvinylchloride, carboxylated polyvinylchloride, polyvinylfluoride, a polymer including ethylene oxide, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyurethane, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyethylene, polypropylene, a styrene-butadiene rubber, a (meth)acrylated styrene-butadiene rubber, an epoxy resin, a (meth)acrylic resin, a polyester resin, nylon, and the like, as non-limiting examples.

The conductive material may be used to impart conductivity (e.g., electrical conductivity) to the electrode. Any material that does not cause chemical change (e.g., does not cause an undesirable chemical change in the rechargeable lithium battery) and conducts electrons may be used in the battery. Examples of the conductive material may include a carbon-based material such as natural graphite, artificial graphite, carbon black, acetylene black, ketjen black, a carbon fiber, a carbon nanofiber, and carbon nanotube; a metal-based material containing copper, nickel, aluminum, silver, etc., in a form of a metal powder or a metal fiber; a conductive polymer such as a polyphenylene derivative; or a mixture thereof.

The negative electrode active material may include a material that reversibly intercalates/deintercalates lithium ions, a lithium metal, a lithium metal alloy, a material capable of doping/dedoping lithium, or a transition metal oxide.

The material that reversibly intercalates/deintercalates lithium ions may include a carbon-based negative electrode active material, such as, for example. crystalline carbon, amorphous carbon or a combination thereof. The crystalline carbon may be graphite such as non-shaped, sheet-shaped, flake-shaped, sphere-shaped, or fiber-shaped natural graphite or artificial graphite. The amorphous carbon may be a soft carbon, a hard carbon, a mesophase pitch carbonization product, calcined coke, and the like.

The lithium metal alloy includes an alloy of lithium and a metal selected from Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Si, Sb, Pb, In, Zn, Ba, Ra, Ge, Al, and Sn.

The material capable of doping/dedoping lithium may be a Si-based negative electrode active material or a Sn-based negative electrode active material. The Si-based negative electrode active material may include silicon, a silicon-carbon composite, SiOx (0<x<2), a Si-Q alloy (where Q is selected from an alkali metal, an alkaline-earth metal, a Group 13 element, a Group 14 element (excluding Si), a Group 15 element, a Group 16 element, a transition metal, a rare earth element, and a combination thereof). The Sn-based negative electrode active material may include Sn, SnO2, a Sn-based alloy, or a combination thereof.

The silicon-carbon composite may be a composite of silicon and amorphous carbon. According to an embodiment, the silicon-carbon composite may be in a form of silicon particles and amorphous carbon coated on the surface of the silicon particles. For example, the silicon-carbon composite may include a secondary particle (core) in which primary silicon particles are assembled, and an amorphous carbon coating layer (shell) on the surface of the secondary particle. The amorphous carbon may also be between the primary silicon particles, and, for example, the primary silicon particles may be coated with the amorphous carbon. The secondary particle may exist dispersed in an amorphous carbon matrix.

The silicon-carbon composite may further include crystalline carbon. For example, the silicon-carbon composite may include a core including crystalline carbon and silicon particles and an amorphous carbon coating layer on a surface of the core.

The Si-based negative electrode active material or the Sn-based negative electrode active material may be used in combination with a carbon-based negative electrode active material.

The negative electrode for a rechargeable lithium battery may include a current collector and a negative electrode active material layer on the current collector. The negative electrode active material layer may include a negative electrode active material, and may further include a binder and/or a conductive material (e.g., an electrically conductive material).

For example, the negative electrode active material layer may include about 90 wt % to about 99 wt % of the negative electrode active material, about 0.5 wt % to about 5 wt % of the binder, and about 0 wt % to about 5 wt % of the conductive material.

The binder may serve to attach the negative electrode active material particles well to each other and also to attach the negative electrode active material well to the current collector. The binder may include a non-aqueous binder, an aqueous binder, a dry binder, or a combination thereof.

The non-aqueous binder may include polyvinyl chloride, carboxylated polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl fluoride, an ethylene propylene copolymer, polystyrene, polyurethane, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyethylene, polypropylene, poly amideimide, polyimide, or a combination thereof.

The aqueous binder may be selected from a styrene-butadiene rubber, a (meth)acrylated styrene-butadiene rubber, a (meth)acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber, (meth)acrylic rubber, a butyl rubber, a fluoro rubber, polyethylene oxide, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyepichlorohydrine, polyphosphazene, poly(meth)acrylonitrile, an ethylene propylene diene copolymer, polyvinylpyridine, chlorosulfonated polyethylene, latex, a polyester resin, a (meth)acrylic resin, a phenol resin, an epoxy resins, polyvinyl alcohol, and a combination thereof.

When an aqueous binder is used as the negative electrode binder, a cellulose-based compound capable of imparting viscosity may be further included. The cellulose-based compound may include at least one of carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, or an alkali metal salt thereof. The alkali metal may include Na, K, or Li.

The dry binder may be a polymer material that is capable of being fibrous. For example, the dry binder may be polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, a polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene copolymer, polyethylene oxide, or a combination thereof.

The conductive material may be used to impart conductivity (e.g., electrical conductivity) to the electrode. Any material that does not cause chemical change(e.g., does not cause an undesirable chemical change in the rechargeable lithium battery) and conducts electrons may be used in the battery. Examples of the conductive material may include a carbon-based material such as natural graphite, artificial graphite, carbon black, acetylene black, ketjen black, a carbon fiber, a carbon nanofiber, and carbon nanotube; a metal-based material containing copper, nickel, aluminum, silver, etc., in a form of a metal powder or a metal fiber; a conductive polymer such as a polyphenylene derivative; or a mixture thereof.

200 30 100 200 211 212 220 240 500 200 213 211 212 2 FIG. 6 FIG. The mixing modulemay form the electrode slurryby mixing the active material, the binder, and the conductive material supplied from the supply module. The mixing modulemay include a first screw, a second screw, a barrel, a first gap adjustment module (e.g., a first gap adjuster)(e.g., refer to), and a control module (e.g., a controller)(e.g., refer to). In this case, the mixing modulemay further include a driving motorthat rotatably drives the first screwand the second screw.

211 212 200 211 212 230 220 2 FIG. The first screwand the second screwmay be disposed parallel to or substantially parallel to each other in a longitudinal direction (e.g., the X-axis direction) of the mixing module, and screw threads formed on an outer circumference may rotate to engage with each other. The first screwand the second screwmay be accommodated in a hole(e.g., refer to) formed in the barrel.

220 211 212 200 30 200 30 200 240 200 500 240 250 2 FIG. 9 FIG. According to some embodiments, the barrelmay include a first barrel and a second barrel accommodating the first screwand the second screw, and may be arranged to face each other in a direction of a height (Y) of the mixing moduleto form a hole through which the electrode slurryis transmitted. The first barrel and the second barrel may be coupled or arranged in the direction of height (Y) of the mixing moduleto face each other to form a hole through which the electrode slurryis transmitted in a longitudinal direction (X) of the mixing module. The first gap adjustment modulemay adjust a gap between the first barrel and the second barrel in the height direction (Y) of the mixing module. The control modulemay control the first gap adjustment modulebased on a characteristic value (e.g., a physical property value) of the electrode slurry measured by the sensor. This will be described in more detail below with reference toto.

213 211 212 211 212 213 213 The driving motormay be connected to the first screwand the second screwto provide a rotational driving force to the first screwand the second screw. The rotational driving force of the driving motormay be appropriately set according to any one of the components or contents of the active material, the binder, and the conductive material being mixed. For example, the torque of the driving motormay be differently set according to a composition ratio of the active material, the binder, and the conductive material

300 30 200 400 300 30 400 The discharge modulemay discharge the electrode slurrymanufactured by mixing the active material, the binder, and the conductive material in the mixing moduleto a tank. The discharge modulemay discharge the electrode slurryin which the active material, the binder, and the conductive material are evenly or substantially evenly distributed to the tank.

250 250 1 250 2 250 3 250 1 30 230 220 250 2 30 300 250 3 30 400 2 FIG. 8 FIG. 2 FIG. 8 FIG. According to some embodiments, the sensormay include a first sensor_(e.g., see), a second sensor_(e.g., refer to), and a third sensor_. The first sensor_may measure a first characteristic value of the electrode slurrytransmitted through the holeof the barrel. The second sensor_may measure a second characteristic value of the electrode slurrydischarged from the discharge module. The third sensor_may measure a third characteristic value of the electrode slurryaccommodated in the tank. This will be described in more detail below with reference toand.

10 100 200 30 100 300 30 250 30 200 211 212 200 220 211 212 30 211 212 500 200 220 100 300 220 According to some embodiments, the extrudermay include the supply modulethat supplies the active material, the binder, and the conductive material, the mixing modulethat forms the electrode slurryby mixing the active material, the binder, and the conductive material supplied from the supply module, the discharge modulethat discharges the electrode slurry, and the sensorthat measures the characteristic value of the electrode slurry. The mixing modulemay include the pair of screwsandarranged in parallel to or substantially parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction (e.g., the X-axis direction) of the mixing module, in which the screw threads formed on the outer circumference rotate to engage with each other, the barrelthat accommodates the pair of screwsandand forms the hole through which the electrode slurryis transmitted, and adjust a clearance (e.g., a gap) between the pair of screwsandand the inner circumference of the hole, and the control modulethat controls the barrelto adjust the clearance based on the measured characteristic value. The barrelmay include a first area adjacent to the supply module, a third area adjacent to the discharge module, and a second area interposed between the first area and the third area. The control module may control the barrelto adjust the clearance in at least one of the first area, the second area, or the third area based on the measured characteristic value.

As described above, an extruder may be provided by setting a shear force applied to the electrode slurry by adjusting the clearance corresponding to the gap between the inner surface of the barrel of the mixing module and the screws. In addition, the physical property value of the finally manufactured electrode slurry may be set by measuring the physical property value of the electrode slurry by using the sensor mounted in the extruder, and adjusting the clearance according to the measured physical property value.

2 FIG. is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a mixing module according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

2 FIG. 6 FIG. 200 211 212 220 240 500 200 213 211 212 Referring to, the mixing modulemay include the first screw, the second screw, the barrel, the first gap adjustment module, and the control module(e.g., refer to). The mixing modulemay further include the driving motorthat rotatably drives the first screwand the second screw.

211 212 213 211 212 220 300 211 212 211 212 According to some embodiments, the first screwand the second screwmay rotatably rotate by a driving force transmitted from the driving motor. The first screwand the second screwmay rotate to mix and move the active material, the binder, and the conductive material supplied into the barrelto the discharge module. For example, an active material, a binder, and a conductive material may flow into screw grooves of the first screwand the second screw. By the rotation of the first screwand the second screw, the active material, the binder, and the conductive material flowing into the screw grooves may be mixed and moved in the X-axis direction.

211 212 211 212 211 212 5 FIG. According to some embodiments, the rotational axes of the first screwand the second screwmay arranged to be parallel to or substantially parallel to each other. A screw thread may be formed in a spiral shape in the X-axis direction on the rotation axis of each of the first screwand the second screw. The screw threads of the first screwand the second screwmay rotate in the same direction as each other while engaging with each other. This will be described in more detail below with reference to.

220 220 1 220 2 200 230 211 212 30 230 220 211 212 100 300 3 FIG. 1 FIG. The barrelmay and include a first barrel_(e.g., refer to) and a second barrel_disposed to face each other in a height direction (e.g., the Y-axis direction) of the mixing moduleto form a hole, and accommodating the first screwand the second screwthrough which an electrode slurry(e.g., refer to) is transmitted. An active material, a binder, and a conductive material may be mixed in the holeformed inside the barrel. The gap between the inner circumference of the hole and the first screwand the second screwmay be a passage through which the active material, the binder, and the conductive material are transmitted from the supply moduleto the discharge module.

211 212 220 211 212 230 220 211 212 According to some embodiments, a fluid mixed with the active material, the binder, the conductive material, and the solvent may move in the X-axis direction by a rotation of the first screwand the second screwin the barrel. A shear force by the rotation of the first screwand the second screwmay be transmitted to the fluid at the gap between the holeof the barreland the first screwand the second screw.

230 220 211 212 211 212 3 FIG. 4 FIG. According to some embodiments, the holeof the barrelmay include a first hole accommodating the first screw, and a second hole accommodating the second screw, and the first and second holes may be connected in the area where the first screwand the second screware engaged. This will be described in more detail below with reference toand.

220 220 100 220 300 220 220 220 220 220 220 a c b a c a b c 1 FIG. According to some embodiments, the barrelmay include a first areaadjacent to the supply module (e.g.,, see), a third areaadjacent to the discharge module, and a second areadisposed between the first areaand the third area. The first areamay be a conveying section in which the active material, the binder, and the conductive material are supplied and transmitted. The second areamay be a kneading section in which a strong shear force is applied to the active material, the binder, and the conductive material. The third areamay be a mixing section in which the active material, the binder, and the conductive material are crushed or dispersed.

220 1 220 2 220 220 220 220 1 220 2 220 240 220 1 220 2 220 240 220 1 220 2 220 240 a c a a b b c c. According to some embodiments, the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_may be adjusted independently in each of the first areato the third areaof the barrel. In more detail, the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the first areamay be adjusted by a first gap adjustment module. The gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the second areamay be adjusted by a first gap adjustment module. The gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the third areamay be adjusted by a first gap adjustment module

220 220 220 220 220 220 a c a b b c. According to some embodiments, the gaps between the first areato the third areamay be sealed. For example, sealing members may be placed to seal between the first areaand the second area, and between the second areaand the third area

240 240 220 240 220 240 220 240 240 240 240 a a b b c c a b c. According to some embodiments, the first gap adjustment modulemay include the first gap adjustment modulelocated in the first area, the first gap adjustment modulelocated in the second area, and the first gap adjustment modulelocated in the third area. However, the configuration of the first gap adjustment moduleis not limited thereto, and may include only one or two from among the first gap adjustment modules,, and/or

250 250 1 230 220 The sensormay include the first sensor_that measures a first characteristic value of an electrode slurry transmitted through the holeof the barrel. The first characteristic value may include at least one of a pressure value or a temperature value.

250 1 250 1 230 220 250 1 230 220 250 1 230 220 250 1 250 1 250 1 250 1 250 1 a a b b c c a, b, c. According to some embodiments, the first sensor_may include a 1_1 sensor_that measures a first characteristic value of the electrode slurry transmitted through the holeof the first area, a 1_2 sensor_that measures a first characteristic value of the electrode slurry transmitted through the holeof the second area, and a 1_3 sensor_that measures a first characteristic value of the electrode slurry transmitted through the holeof the third area. However, the configuration of the first sensor_is not limited thereto, and the first sensor_may include only one or two of the 1_1 sensor_the 1_2 sensor_and/or the 1_3 sensor_

500 240 500 250 1 220 1 220 2 240 250 1 6 FIG. According to some embodiments, the control modulemay control the first gap adjustment modulebased on the measured characteristic value. In more detail, the control modulemay compare the first characteristic value measured by the first sensor_with a reference value, and may transmit a control signal to change the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_to the first gap adjustment modulebased on the comparison result between the first characteristic value measured by the first sensor_and the reference value. This will be described in more detail below with reference to.

3 FIG. 2 FIG. 4 FIG. 2 FIG. is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A ofbefore a gap between a first barrel and a second barrel increases.is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A ofafter the gap between the first barrel and the second barrel increases.

3 FIG. 4 FIG. 2 FIG. 2 FIG. 220 220 220 220 a b c a andfocus on the first areashown infor convenience of illustration, but the second areaand the third areainmay be the same or substantially the same as (or similar to) the first area, and thus, redundant description thereof may not be repeated.

3 4 FIGS.and 1 FIG. 220 220 1 220 2 200 230 211 212 30 230 220 232 211 234 212 232 234 230 211 212 b Referring to, the barrelmay include a first barrel_and a second barrel_arranged to face each other in the height direction (e.g., the Y-axis direction) of the mixing moduleto form a holein which a first screwand a second screware accommodated, and through which an electrode slurry(e.g., refer to) is transmitted. The holeof the barrelmay include a first holefor accommodating the first screw, and a second holefor accommodating the second screw. The first holeand the second holemay be connected to each other in an areain which the first screwand the second screware engaged with each other.

211 211 212 212 200 211 211 212 212 a a b b According to some embodiments, a rotation axisof the first screwand a rotation axisof the second screwmay be placed in parallel to or substantially in parallel to each other in a longitudinal direction (e.g., the X-axis direction) of the mixing module. A screw threadof the first screwand a screw threadof the second screwmay rotate in the same direction as each other by engaging each other.

230 230 211 212 1 211 212 2 232 234 211 212 230 230 211 212 230 230 211 212 a a a According to some embodiments, the gap between an inner circumferenceof the holeand the first screwand the second screwmay be equal to or substantially equal to a length Lof the outer radius (e.g., the outer radius of the screw) of each of the first screwand the second screw, subtracted by a length Lof the inner radius of each of the first holeand the second hole. A gap may be formed between the outer diameters of the first screwand the second screwand the inner circumferenceof the hole, so that the first screwand the second screwmay rotate, and the fluid mixed with the active material, the conductive material, and the binder may flow. The gap between the inner circumferenceof the holeand the first screwand the second screwmay be referred to as a ‘clearance’.

240 220 1 220 2 240 240 a a a According to some embodiments, the clearance may be controlled by the first gap adjustment moduledisposed between the first barrel_and the second barrel_. The first gap adjustment modulemay be a pneumatic control device. The first gap adjustment modulemay include a tube and an extruder. A volume of the tube may be controlled by the extruder, thereby controlling the clearance due to a volume change of the tube. However, the pneumatic control device is not limited thereto, and may be formed of various suitable configurations.

The clearance may be one of the important elements that determine a shear force applied to the electrode slurry. When the clearance is small, the shear force applied to the electrode slurry may be great, and when the clearance is great, the shear force applied to the electrode slurry may be small.

The physical property value of the electrode slurry may be determined by the shear force applied to the electrode slurry. When the shear force applied to the electrode slurry is small, the internal pressure of the electrode slurry may be small, which prevents or substantially prevents the electrode slurry from being properly dispersed. When the shear force applied to the electrode slurry is great, the internal pressure of the electrode slurry may be great, so that the electrode slurry may be excessively dispersed.

3 FIG. 4 FIG. 1 FIG. 240 240 10 a a Therefore, the clearance may vary depending on the physical property value (e.g., the desired physical property value) of the targeted electrode slurry. As shown in, according to the physical property value of the electrode slurry, a clearance C may be adjusted to be reduced by the first gap adjustment module. Similarly, as shown in, a clearance C′ may be adjusted to be increased by the first gap adjustment moduleaccording to the physical property value of the electrode slurry. For example, the clearance may be adjusted in the range from 0.05 mm to 5 mm. Therefore, after the physical property value of the electrode slurry that moves from an extruder(e.g., refer to) is measured, the clearance may be adjusted according to the measured physical property value, thereby optimizing or improving the physical property value of the finally manufactured electrode slurry.

5 FIG. is a view illustrating an example in which a first screw and a second screw are arranged according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

5 FIG. 211 211 212 212 211 211 212 212 a a b b Referring to, a rotation axisof a first screwand a rotation axisof a second screwmay be placed in parallel to or substantially in parallel to each other. A screw threadof the first screwand a screw threadof the second screwmay rotate in the same direction as each other while engaging with each other.

211 212 211 212 According to some embodiments, the first screwand the second screwmay have an elliptical cross-section, and the long axis of the first screwand the long axis of the second screwmay be arranged vertically and engaged to rotate in the elliptical cross-section.

211 211 212 211 212 For example, the first screwmay rotate so that the long axis of the first screwmay have angles of 0 degrees, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees from the horizontal line. The second screwmay rotate while engaging with the first screw, so that the long axis of the second screwmay have angles of 90 degrees, 45 degrees, and 0 degrees from the horizontal line.

6 FIG. is a view illustrating an example of a control module electrically connected to a first sensor and a first gap adjustment module according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

6 FIG. 500 250 1 240 250 1 250 1 250 1 250 1 a, b, Referring to, the control modulemay be electrically connected to a first sensor_and a first gap adjustment module. The first sensor_may include a 1-1 sensor_a 1-2 sensor_and a 1-3 sensor_c.

250 1 230 220 250 1 230 220 250 1 230 220 a a b b c c 2 FIG. 2 FIG. 2 FIG. According to some embodiments, the 1-1 sensor_may measure a first characteristic value of an electrode slurry transmitted through a hole(e.g., refer to) of a first area. The 1-2 sensor_may measure a first characteristic value of an electrode slurry transmitted through a holeof a second area(e.g., refer to). The 1-3 sensor_may measure a first characteristic value of an electrode slurry transmitted through a holeof a third area(e.g., refer to). The first characteristic value may include at least one of a pressure value or a temperature value. However, the first characteristic value is not limited thereto, and may include various suitable characteristic values.

500 250 1 220 1 220 2 220 220 240 250 1 3 FIG. a c According to some embodiments, the control modulemay compare a first characteristic value measured by the first sensor_with a reference value, and may transmit a control signal for changing the gap between the first barrel_(e.g., refer to) and the second barrel_in each of the first areato the third areato the first gap adjustment module, based on the comparison result between the first characteristic value measured by the first sensor_and the reference value.

The reference value may be set to various suitable numerical ranges depending on the target physical property value of the electrode slurry.

500 250 1 220 1 220 2 220 240 250 1 a a a 3 FIG. According to some embodiments, the control modulemay compare a first characteristic value measured by the 1-1 sensor_with a reference value, and may transmit a control signal for changing the gap between the first barrel_(e.g., refer to) and the second barrel_in the first areato the first gap adjustment module, based on the comparison result between the first characteristic value measured by the 1-1 sensor_and the reference value.

500 250 1 220 1 220 2 220 220 240 250 1 b a b b According to some embodiments, the control modulemay compare a first characteristic value measured by the 1-2 sensor_with a reference value, and may transmit a control signal for changing the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the first areaor the second areato the first gap adjustment module, based on the comparison result between the first characteristic value measured by the 1-2 sensor_and the reference value.

500 250 1 250 1 220 1 220 2 220 240 220 220 b b a a b. According to some embodiments, the control modulemay compare a pressure value measured by the 1-2 sensor_with a reference value, and based on a result of determining that the pressure value measured by the 1-2 sensor_is smaller than the reference value, may transmit a control signal for increasing the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the first areato the first gap adjustment module. As a result, the amount of electrode slurry transmitted from the first areamay be increased, thereby increasing the shear force applied to the electrode slurry in the second area

250 500 220 220 220 250 a b According to some embodiments, the sensormay measure a pressure value of the electrode slurry, and the control modulemay control the barrelto allow the clearance to increase in the first areawhen the pressure value of the second areameasured by the sensoris smaller than a reference pressure value.

500 250 1 250 1 220 1 220 2 220 240 b b b According to some embodiments, the control modulemay compare the pressure value measured by the 1-2 sensor_with a reference value, and based on a result of determining that the pressure value measured by the 1-2 sensor_is smaller than the reference value, may transmit a control signal for decreasing the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the second areato the first gap adjustment module. As a result, the shear force applied to the electrode slurry may increase, so that the electrode slurry may be uniformly or substantially uniformly distributed.

500 250 1 250 1 220 1 220 2 220 240 b b b According to some embodiments, the control modulemay compare the pressure value measured by the 1-2 sensor_with a reference value, and based on the result of determining that the pressure value measured by the 1-2 sensor_is greater than the reference value, may transmit a control signal for increasing the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the second areato the first gap adjustment module. As a result, the shear force applied to the electrode slurry may be reduced, so that the electrode slurry may be uniformly or substantially uniformly distributed. In addition, the extruder may be prevented or substantially prevented from being overloaded and deteriorated.

500 250 1 250 1 220 1 220 2 220 240 220 b b b b According to some embodiments, the control modulemay compare the temperature value measured by the 1-2 sensor_with a reference value, and based on the result of determining that the temperature value measured by the 1_2 sensor_is greater than the reference value, a control signal for increasing the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the second areamay be transmitted to the first gap adjustment module. As a result, the load of the second areamay be reduced, thereby reducing the temperature of the electrode slurry.

500 250 1 250 1 220 1 220 2 220 240 c c c According to some embodiments, the control modulemay compare a first characteristic value measured by the 1-3 sensor_with a reference value, and based on the result of comparing between the first characteristic value measured by the 1-3 sensor_and the reference value, may transmit a control signal for changing the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the third areato the first gap adjustment module.

500 250 1 250 1 220 1 220 2 220 240 220 c c c c According to some embodiments, the control modulemay compare a temperature value measured by the 1-3 sensor_with a reference value, and based on a result of determining that the temperature value measured by the 1_3 sensor_is greater than the reference value, may transmit a control signal for increasing the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the third areato the first gap adjustment module. As a result, the load of the third areamay be reduced, thereby reducing the temperature of the electrode slurry.

250 500 200 220 220 220 220 250 b c b c According to some embodiments, the sensormay measure the temperature value of the electrode slurry, and the control modulemay control the barrelto allow the clearance to increase in the second areaor the third areawhen the temperature value of the second areaor the third areameasured by the sensoris greater than a reference temperature value.

7 FIG. is a graph of experimental data indicating a viscosity of an electrode slurry according to a gap between a first barrel and a second barrel according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

7 FIG. 1 6 FIGS.to illustrates the experimental data for measuring the viscosity of the electrode slurry according to the clearance of the extruder. For example, the extruder may be a device for discharging an electrode slurry by mixing an active material, a conductive material, a binder, and a solvent supplied to a hole, which is an internal space of a barrel, by the rotation of a pair of screws as described above with reference to. The gap between the inner circumference of the hole and the pair of screws may be referred to as a clearance. The horizontal axis of the experimental data may indicate the shear rate of the electrode slurry, and the vertical axis may indicate the viscosity of the electrode slurry.

7 FIG. As shown in, when the clearance is 0.3 mm, the viscosity of the electrode slurry may be greater than that of the electrode slurry when the clearance is 0.2 mm. In addition, when the clearance is 0.5 mm, the viscosity of the electrode slurry may be greater than that of the electrode slurry when the clearance is 0.3 mm. When the clearance is 0.2 mm, the viscosity of the electrode slurry may be the lowest, and when the clearance is 0.5 mm, the viscosity of the electrode slurry may be the highest.

As the clearance of the extruder becomes smaller, the viscosity of the electrode slurry may be reduced. This is because the shear force applied to the electrode slurry increases as the clearance of the extruder becomes smaller. Therefore, the viscosity of the electrode slurry may be properly set or determined by adjusting the clearance in the extruder.

8 FIG. is a view illustrating an example of an extruder including a second sensor and a third sensor according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

9 FIG. 8 9 FIGS.and 1 6 FIGS.to is a view illustrating an example of a control module electrically connected to a second sensor, a third sensor, and a first gap adjustment module according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the same or substantially the same configurations and elements inas those described above with reference tomay not be repeated.

8 FIG. 20 100 200 300 20 400 30 300 250 250 250 2 30 300 250 3 30 400 Referring to, an extrudermay include a supply module (e.g., a supplier or a supply hopper), a mixing module (e.g., a mixer or a mixing device), and a discharge module (e.g., a discharger or a discharge outlet). The extrudermay further include a tankfor accommodating an electrode slurrydischarged from the discharge module, and a sensor. The sensormay further include a second sensor_that measures a second characteristic value of the electrode slurrydischarged from the discharge module, and a third sensor_that measures a third characteristic value of the electrode slurryaccommodated in the tank.

According to some embodiments, the second characteristic value may include at least one of a particle size value, a viscosity value, a density value, or a temperature value. The third characteristic value may include a weight value. However, the second characteristic value and the third characteristic value are not limited thereto, and may include various suitable characteristic values.

600 250 2 220 1 220 2 220 240 250 2 3 FIG. 2 FIG. b According to some embodiments, a control module (e.g., a controller)may compare a second characteristic value measured by the second sensor_with a reference value, and may transmit a control signal that changes the gap between the first barrel_(e.g., refer to) and the second barrel_in the second area(e.g., refer to) to the first gap adjustment module, based on the result of comparing the second characteristic value measured by the second sensor_with the reference value. The reference value may be set within a suitable numerical range according to the physical property value (e.g., the desire physical property value) of the target electrode slurry. For example, the viscosity value and the particle size value of the electrode slurry may be set to a numerical range ranging from 80% to 120% of the preset value. However, the reference value is not limited thereto, and may be set in various suitable ways depending on the kinds of the viscosity sensor and the particle sensor.

600 250 2 250 2 220 1 220 2 220 240 b According to some embodiments, the control modulemay compare the viscosity value and/or the particle size measured by the second sensor_with a reference value, and based on a result of determining that the viscosity value and/or particle size measured by the second sensor_is greater than the reference value, may transmit a control signal that decreases the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the second areato the first gap adjustment module. As a result, the shear force applied to the electrode slurry may increase, and the viscosity value and/or the particle size of the electrode slurry may decrease, thereby ensuring an appropriate viscosity value and/or particle size of the electrode slurry.

250 600 230 220 220 220 220 b c b c The sensormay measure the viscosity value of the electrode slurry, and the control modulemay control the barrelto reduce the clearance in the second areaor the third areawhen the viscosity value measured by the sensor in the second areaor the third areais greater than a reference viscosity value.

600 250 2 250 2 220 1 220 2 220 240 b According to some embodiments, the control modulemay compare the viscosity value and/or the particle size value measured by the second sensor_with a reference value, and based on a result of determining that the viscosity value and/or the particle value measured by the second sensor_is smaller than the reference value, may transmit a control signal to increase the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the second areato the first gap adjustment module. The reference values of the particle sizes may be based on d10, d50, and d90. For example, d10, d50, and d90 may indicate size values corresponding to 10%, 50%, and 90% of a maximum value in the cumulative distribution of the particle sizes, respectively, and may reflect a degree of homogeneity of the electrode slurry. Therefore, the shear force applied to the electrode slurry may be reduced, and the viscosity value and/or the particle size of the electrode slurry may be increased, thereby ensuring an appropriate viscosity value and/or particle size of the electrode slurry.

250 600 220 220 220 250 220 220 b c b c The sensormay measure the particle size of the electrode slurry, and the control modulemay control the barrelto increase the clearance in the second areaor the third areawhen the particle size measured by the sensorin the second areaor the third areais smaller than a reference particle size.

600 250 2 220 1 220 2 220 240 250 2 c 2 FIG. The control modulemay compare the second characteristic value measured by the second sensor_with a reference value, and may transmit a control signal that changes the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the third area(e.g., refer to) to the first gap adjustment modulebased on the result of comparing the second characteristic value measured by the second sensor_with the reference value.

600 250 2 220 1 220 2 220 240 250 2 c 2 FIG. The control modulemay compare the viscosity value and/or the particle size measured by the second sensor_with a reference value, and may transmit a control signal that changes the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the third area(e.g., refer to) to the first gap adjustment module, based on a determination that the viscosity value and/or the particle size measured by the second sensor_is greater than the reference value. The shear force applied to the electrode slurry may be increased, and the viscosity value and/or the particle size of the electrode slurry may be reduced, thereby ensuring the appropriate viscosity value and/or particle size of the electrode slurry.

600 250 2 220 1 220 2 220 240 250 2 c 2 FIG. The control modulemay compare the viscosity value and/or the particle size measured by the second sensor_with a reference value, and may transmit a control signal that increases the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the third area(e.g., refer to) to the first gap adjustment module, based on the determination that the viscosity value and/or particle size measured by the second sensor_is smaller than the reference value. The shear force applied to the electrode slurry may be reduced, and the viscosity value and/or the particle size of the electrode slurry may be increased, thereby ensuring the appropriate viscosity value and/or the particle size of the electrode slurry.

600 250 3 220 1 220 2 220 240 250 3 c 2 FIG. The control modulemay compare a third characteristic measured by the third sensor_with a reference value, and may transmit a control signal that changes the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the third area(e.g., refer to) to the first gap adjustment module, based on the result of comparing the third characteristic value measured by the third sensor_with the reference value.

600 250 3 220 1 220 2 220 240 250 3 c 2 FIG. The control modulemay compare a weight value measured by the third sensor_with a reference value, and may transmit a control signal that reduces the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the third area(e.g., refer to) to the first gap adjustment module, based on the determination that the weight value measured by the third sensor_is greater than the reference value. Therefore, the discharging amount of electrode slurry may be reduced to ensure an appropriate production volume.

600 250 3 220 1 220 2 220 240 250 3 c 2 FIG. The control modulemay compare the weight value measured by the third sensor_with a reference value, and transmit a control signal that increases the gap between the first barrel_and the second barrel_in the third area(e.g., refer to) to the first gap adjustment module, based on the determination that the weight value measured by the third sensor_is smaller than the reference value. Therefore, the discharging amount of electrode slurry may be increased to ensure an appropriate production volume.

600 250 2 250 3 According to some embodiments, the control modulemay compare the characteristic values with the reference value by assigning priorities to the characteristic values measured by the second sensor_and the third sensor_. The priorities may be set depending on a purpose. For example, when the production volume of the electrode slurry produced by the extruder is given priority, the measured characteristic values may be compared with the reference value in the order of a weight value, a viscosity value, a pressure value, a temperature value, and a particle size. As another example, when the maintenance of the durability of the extruder is given priority, the measured characteristic values may be compared with the reference value in the order of a pressure value, a viscosity value, a particle size, a temperature value, and a weight value.

10 FIG. 10 FIG. 2 FIG. is a view illustrating an example of an extrude further including a second gap adjustment module according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the same or substantially the same elements and configurations inas those described above with reference tomay not be repeated.

920 1 920 1 920 1 920 2 920 2 920 2 a b a b According to some embodiments, the first barrel_may include a 1_1 barrel_and a 1-2 barrel_arranged to face each other in the width direction (e.g., the Z-axis direction) of the mixing module, and the second barrel_may include a 2_1 barrel_and a 2_2 barrel_arranged to face each other in the width direction (e.g., the Z-axis direction) of the mixing module.

940 920 1 920 1 920 2 920 2 500 940 a b, a b 6 FIG. According to some embodiments, the extruder further includes a second gap adjustment modulefor adjusting the gap between the 1-1 barrel_and the 1-2 barrel_and the gap between the 2_1 barrel_and the 2_2 barrel_in the width direction (e.g., the Z-axis direction) of the mixing module, and the control module(e.g., refer to) may control the second gap adjustment modulebased on the measured characteristic value. Accordingly, the control module of the extruder may improve the shear force applied to the electrode slurry by adjusting the gap in the width direction (e.g., the Z-axis direction) of the mixing module.

11 FIG. 11 FIG. 1 FIG. is a view illustrating an example of an extruder including a multi-layered mixing module according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the same or substantially the same elements and configurations inas those described above with reference tomay not be repeated.

11 FIG. 40 200 1000 200 40 Referring to, an extrudermay include a first mixing module (e.g., a first mixer or a first mixing device), and a second mixing module (e.g., a second mixer or a second mixing device)connected to the first mixing module. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the extrudermay include the mixing module of three (3) or more layers.

200 1000 200 200 1000 1000 400 30 1011 1012 1000 1013 1 FIG. 11 FIG. According to some embodiments, the first mixing moduleand the second mixing moduleeach include the same or similar configuration as that of the mixing moduledescribed above with reference toto. The discharge module of the first mixing modulemay be connected to a supply module of the second mixing module, and the discharge module of the second mixing modulemay be connected to a tankthat accommodates an electrode slurry. A pair of screwsandaccommodated in the barrel of the second mixing modulemay rotatably rotate by a driving motor.

200 1000 30 200 211 212 200 220 211 212 30 211 212 220 200 100 220 The first mixing moduleand the second mixing modulemay each further include one or more sensors that measure a characteristic value of the electrode slurry. The first mixing modulemay include a pair of crewsandparallel to or substantially parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction (e.g., the X-axis direction) of the first mixing modulewith screw threads formed on the outer circumference rotating by engaging with each other, a barrelfor accommodating the pair of screwsand, a hole through which the electrode slurryis transmitted and having an adjustable clearance between the pair of the screwsandand the inner circumference of the hole, and a control module (e.g., a controller) that controls the barrelto adjust the clearance. The barrelmay include a first area adjacent to the supply module, a third area adjacent to the discharge module, and a second area disposed between the first area and the third area. The control module may control the barrelto adjust the clearance in at least one of the first area to the third area based on the measured characteristic value.

1000 1011 1012 1000 1020 1011 1012 30 211 212 220 1020 200 1000 1020 Similarly, the second mixing modulemay include a pair of screwsandplaced parallel to or substantially parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction (e.g., the X-axis direction) of the second mixing modulewith screw threads formed on the outer circumference rotating by engaging with each other, a barrelfor accommodating the pair of screwsand, a hole through which the electrode slurryis transmitted and having an adjustable clearance between the pair of screwsandand the inner circumference of the hole, and a control module (e.g., a controller) that controls the barrelto adjust the clearance based on the measured characteristic value. The barrelmay include a first area adjacent to the discharge module of the first mixing module, a third area adjacent to the discharge module of the second mixing module, and a second area interposed between the first area and the third area. The control module may control the barrelto adjust the clearance in at least one of the first area to the third area based on the measured characteristic value.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an extruder may be provided that evenly or substantially evenly distributes the electrode slurry by setting (e.g., by changing) the shear force applied to the electrode slurry by adjusting the clearance corresponding to a gap between the inner circumference of the barrel of each of the mixing modules formed in multiple layers and the screw. In addition, the physical property value of the finally generated electrode slurry may be set or determined by measuring the physical property value of the electrode slurry using the sensor mounted in the extruder, and adjusting the clearance according to the measured physical property value.

The electronic or electric devices and/or any other relevant devices or components according to embodiments of the present disclosure described herein (e.g., the control module and the like) may be implemented utilizing any suitable hardware, firmware (e.g. an application-specific integrated circuit), software, or a combination of software, firmware, and hardware. For example, the various components of these devices may be formed on one integrated circuit (IC) chip or on separate IC chips. Further, the various components of these devices may be implemented on a flexible printed circuit film, a tape carrier package (TCP), a printed circuit board (PCB), or formed on one substrate. Further, the various components of these devices may be a process or thread, running on one or more processors, in one or more computing devices, executing computer program instructions and interacting with other system components for performing the various functionalities described herein. The computer program instructions are stored in a memory which may be implemented in a computing device using a standard memory device, such as, for example, a random access memory (RAM). The computer program instructions may also be stored in other non-transitory computer readable media such as, for example, a CD-ROM, flash drive, or the like. Also, a person of skill in the art should recognize that the functionality of various computing devices may be combined or integrated into a single computing device, or the functionality of a particular computing device may be distributed across one or more other computing devices without departing from the spirit and scope of the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Although the present disclosure has been described above with respect to embodiments thereof, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Various modifications and variations may be made thereto by those skilled in the art within the spirit of the present disclosure and the equivalent scope of the appended claims.

10 : Extruder 100 : Supply Module 200 : Mixing Module 211 212 ,: First Screw and Second Screw 220 : Barrel 230 : Hole 240 : First Gap Adjustment Module 250 : Sensor 300 : Discharge Module 400 : Tank